Fluid transmission



Patented Mar. 18,. 1949 FLUID TRANSMISSION Joseph J andasek, Highland Park, Mich., assigner to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend. Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application November 26, 1943, Serial No. 511,798

2 Claims. (Cl. 'I4-189.5)

This invention relates to transmissions and more particularly to combined fluid and mechanical transmissions to provide greater flexibility in the transmission of power.

An object of this invention is to provide a power transmitting device having fluid and mechanical transmissions positioned at opposite ends of a member interposed between driving and driven shafts to permit the efficient transmission of power at a plurality of torque multiplying ratios.

kIl further object of the invention resides in the provision oi a transmission having driving and driven shafts connected for direct drive and having planetary gearing positioned between the driving and driven shafts to provide over-drive and reverse speeds.

Another object of the invention is to provide planetary gearing associated with driving and driven shafts having one-way direct driving means positioned therebetween and whereinmeans are provided to render the direct drive inoperative upon actuation of the planetary gearing.

Still a further object of this invention resides in the provision of fluid pressure actuated means associated with planetary gearing to render inoperative a direct drive between driving and driven shafts upon actuation of the planetary gearing.

Still another object of the invention is to provide fluid pressure operated means to render inoperative the driving means between two shafts.

Another object resides in the provision of a novel one-way driving mechanism having manually controlled means to render the drive inoperative. l

Yet a still further object of the invention is to provide a one-way drive having speed responsive means to render the drive inoperative.

Another object is to provide a transmission having planetary gearing interposed between driving and driven shafts wherein manually operable means are provided to actuate the planetary gearing to vary the speed ratio of the driving and driven shafts and to automatically interrupt direct driving. means between the driving and driven shafts upon actuation of the planetary gearing control mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, submitted for purposes of illustration only and not intended to define the scope of the invention, reference being had for y that purpose to the subjoined claims.

' mission embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating the control mechanism for the planetary gearing illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a modified form of control mechanism.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is `not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring now to Fig. 1 it will be observed that an engine crankshaft I0 is provided with a radi'- ally extcnded flange I2 to which an impeller hub I 4 is secured as by bolts I6. The impeller hub I4 carries an impeller web I8 having thereon fluid energizing vanes 20 and 22 supporting an impeller shroud 24 secured thereto.

The impeller web I8 is extended to over-lie an energy absorbing turbine member including rst section energy absorbing vanes 26 carried by a turbine shroud 28. and section turbine vanes 30 interposed between the turbine shroud 28 and a turbine web 32 carried by a turbine hub 34 secured to a driven shaft 36 as by splines 38.

The driven shaft 36 is aligned with the crankshaft I0 and is received by a pilot bearing 40 in the impeller hub I4. A stationary member 42 has an axially extended sleeve 44 telescoping the driven shaft 36. A hub 4B is mounted on the stationary sleeve 44 and secured thereto as by means of splines 48. One-way braking means are interposed between the hub 46 and a guide wheel hub 52 mounted on suitable bearings 54 on the driven shaft. The guide wheel hub 52 carries a radially extended flange 56 terminating in an axially extended cylinder 58 having exterto direct it to the second section turbine vanes 80 in such a manner that power may be transmitted from the crankshaft I to the driven shaft 88 with torque multiplication. The guide wheel carrying member 82 is provided with internal helical threads 88 adapted to engage the helical threads l0 to move the guide wheel vanes 84 out of or into the power transmitting fluid circuit provided by the cooperating impeller and turbine. A spring 88 interposed between the guide wheel carrying member 82 and a stop member 10 is provided to yieldingly urge the guide vanes 84 into the power transmitting fluid clrcuitrto transform the device to operate as a torque converter to transmit power with torque multiplication.

The driven shaft 88 has a reversely disposed conical.end portion 12 adapted to be engaged by a conical one-way driving means 14. The outer perimeter of the one-way driving means 14 is engaged by a female conical driving surface 18 posed between the impeller web and shroud members |8 and 24.

Energized liquid is directed to the first section turbine vanes 28 where a portion of the energy is absorbed. When the device is operating as a torque converter to transmit power with torque multiplication and at reduced speed. the guide wheel vanes 84 are positioned in the power transmitting' fluid circuit as illustrated in Fig. 1.

carried by a final driven shaft 18 aligned with y the driven shaft 88.

The final driven shaft 18 is provided with a radially extended ange 80 terminating in a ring gear 82 receiving pinions 84 carried by planet pins 88 fixed to a radially extended flange 88 on the driven shaft 88.

The pinons 84 are integral with pinions 80 of smaller diameter and received by a ring gear 82 on a radially extended flange 94 secured to a sleeve 88 supporting a radially extended flange 88 terminating in an axially extending cylinder i 00 positioned to be engaged by the friction lining |02 of a brake band actuated by a hydraulic unit |04 to effect reverse drive. The unit |04 may be actuated by a lever |08 to direct liquid through a conduit |01 to the cylinder of the unit |04.

The pinions 80 also mesh with a sun gear |08 splined or otherwise suitably secured to a sleeve i 08 surrounding the driven shaft 88 and having a radially extended ange ||0 terminating in a cylinder ||2 adapted to be held against rotation by a brake band H8 actuated by a cylinder 8 to effect an over-drive.

The driven shaft 18 is provided with a chamber |20 adapted to receive a piston |22 having rod |24 secured thereto and extended into a cylinder |28.' The rod |28 is provided with a head |28 slidably mounted in thecylinder |28. Yielding means such for example as a spring |80 may be interposed between the head |28 and the inner end |82 of the cylinder |28 to yieldingly urge the driven shaft 88 and the final driven shaft 18 toward each other to engage the one-way driving means 14 to .eil'ect direct drive from the shaft 88 to the nnal driven shaft 18.

A conduit |84 from the hydraulic unit |04 communicates with the-chamber |20 to subject the space between the piston |22 and the chamber |20 tofluid pressure upon actuation of the hydraulic unit |04 by the pedal |08 to effect reverse drive. When the chamber |20 is thus sub- Jected to hydraulic pressure the vpiston |22 is urged to the left whereupon'the driven. shaft 88 and the final driven shaft 18 are separated slightly to automatically release the one-way driving means 14 and to permit the final driven shaft 18 to rotate in the reverse direction.

The operation is as follows. Power applied by the prime-mover rotates the crankshaft I 0 and power is transmitted through the impeller hub |4 and web |8 to energize liquid in the impeller channel provided by the vanes 20 and 22 inter- When operating as a torque converter uid issuling from the first section turbine is rectified as to flow direction by the guide wheel vanes 84 and it is induced to flow into the second section turbine channel to engage the vanes at such an angle that power may be transmitted with torque multiplication. The remaining energy capable of abstraction from thepower transmitting fluid is absorbed by the second section turbine vanes 80' and the total power absorbed from 'the liquid is directed through the turbine web 82 and hub 84 to the driven shaft 88.

When the power applied to the impeller increases. or the load to which the driven shaft 88 is subjected decreases to such an extent that torque multiplication is unnecessary to transmit the load, the duid in. the power transmitting fluid circuit tends to rotate the guide wheel vanes 84 in the forward direction whereupon the helical threads 88 and 80 shift the guide wheel axially on the member 88 to withdraw the guide vanes 84 from the fluid circuit. I'he one-way braking means 80 permits the guide wheel assembly to rotate freely in the forward direction with the edges of the guide vanes 84 adjacent the fluid circuit whereupon minimum energy is absorbed by the guide wheel while the device is operating as a duid clutch to transmit power at a substantially 1:1 ratio with virtually no torque multiplication.

For normal operation the one-way driving means 14 interposed between the driven shaft 88 and the final driven shaft 18 operates to efl'ect a direct drive to the shaft 18 whereupon the shaft 18 receives the entire energy applied to the driven shaft 88. When it is desired to drive the final driven shaft 18 in the reverse direction the pedal |08 maybe actuated whereupon fluid pressure is exerted through the conduit |01 toactuate the braking unit |04 to contract the brake band |02 into locking engagement with the cylinder |00 carried by the radially extended flange 88 fixed to the sleeve 88 to lock the ring gear 82, against rotation. When the ring gear 82 is locked against rotation, power applied through the driven shaft 88, flange 88. planet pinions 88 and pinions 84 is effective through the ring gear 82 and flange 80 to rotate the nnal driven shaft 18 in the reverse direction because of the difference in diameter of the ring gears 82 and 82 and their associated pinion gears 80 and 84 respectively.

Actuation of the hydraulic unit |04 exerts pressure through the conduit |84 to the chamber |20 whereupon the piston |22 carried by the driven shaft 88 is subjected to an axial force tending to separate the driven shaft 88 and the final driven shaft 18. Slight axial movement of these shafts is effective to release the one-way driving means 14 whereupon the final driven shaft 'i8 is free to rotate in the reverse direction.

When-the reverse drive is no longer needed the pedal |08 is released whereupon the brake band |02 releases the cylinder |00 and the fluid pressure in the chamber |20 is released whereupon the spring |80 moves the driven shaft 88 and the nal driven shaft 18 axially to engage the oneway driving means 14 whereupon the direct drive from the driven shaft 36 to the final driven shaft A by the sleeve |08 xed to the radially extended flange H0 is locked against rotation. Locking of the sun gear |06 is eective through the pinions 90 and 84 and ring gear 82 to rotate the final driven shaft 'I8 in the forward direction at increased speed. The one-way driving means 14 permits the final driven shaft 18 to rotate at `higher speeds than the driven shaft 36, land operates as a bearing to guide the final driven shaft and maintain alignment between the shafts.

Fig. 3 illustrates an embodiment which is similar in many respects to that illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the conduit |34 from the hydraulic unit |04 subjects the cylinder |26 in the nnal driven shaft 'I8 to hydraulic pressure to exert a force to separatethe driven shaft 36 and the nai driven shaft 18 to separate the conical surfaces T2 and 'I6 from the one-way driving means 14 to interrupt the transmission of power. This is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 319,442 filed February 17, 1940 now Patent #2,388,849, Nov. 13, 1945.

I claim: 1. A transmission comprising driving and driven shafts, conical members on the driving and driven shafts, one-way driving means be tween the conical members, means yieldingly urging one of the conical members toward the other, manually controlled speed increasing and reversing means associated with the driving and driven shafts, and means operated by actuation of either the reverse driving means or the speed increasing means effective to spread the conical members so as to release the one-way driving means.

2. A power transmitting device comprising a driving shaft, a driven shaft aligned with the driving shaft, cooperating driving and driven surfaces between said shafts, one-way driving means between the driving and driven surfaces means yieldingly urging one of the surfaces toward the other so as to engage the one-way driving means, manually controlled reversing means between the driving and driven shafts, and means operated by actuation of the reversing means to release the one-way driving means.

JOSEPH JANDASEK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Jandasek Nov. 2, 1943 

